Yes, music festivals are about music—but these days, they’re just as much about the experience. Whether you’re chasing a bucket-list lineup, riverfront vibes or an escape from your monotonous vacay routine, these festivals deliver more than a few good sets. From famous fests that garner thousands to niche folk soirees, we present five worth cashing in PTO for.
Courtesy of Summerfest
Summerfest, June + July 2027 Nine days of music spread across three weekends, the Milwaukee music mainstay serves peak flexibility for festival goers vying to lay eyes and ears on its 600+ artists without the scheduling stress. And when it comes to booking talent, Summerfest sticks to the charts when snagging its lineup with Don Toliver, Carin León, Alex Warren and Megan Moroney all showing out this year.
Iron Blossom, Sept 19–20 The Richmond fete has blossomed from stomp and holler to full indie-sleaze this year with LCD Soundsystem, Jack White and Geese leading the charge. Despite the stacked lineup, it’s surprisingly low-maintenance. Read: Two days, two stages and just a ~2.5 hour drive from Raleigh.
Courtesy of Shaky Knees
Shaky Knees, Sept. 18–Sept. 20 Rock connoisseurs flock to Atlanta annually to mosh, sway and headbang to world-class acts and rising rockstars—from The Strokes and Wu-Tang Clan to Hot Mulligan and Geese—backdropped by diverse crowds, high energy and high production christening the perfect long-weekend music escape.
High Water Festival, April 2027 Although the laid-back North Charleston fest leans on the more folky side of your Spotify (think Wilco and Hozier), they always rope in a few icons from years past (s/o Sheryl Crow), plus odd yet pivotal sets like The Flaming Lips—all serenading the riverfront as breezes roll in and boats drift by.
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, April 22–May 2, 2027 Less of a fest and more of an institution, NOLA’s Jazz Fest cuts across genres, hitting every quintessential American musical style via household names like Neil Young, Lorde, T-Pain and Red Hot Chili Peppers alongside jazz’s greats. And like anything in the Big Easy, food never takes a backseat.
Like Hopscotch’s less edgy, flowy-skirted and flowery sister, Iron Blossom Music Festival continues to shine a spotlight on local indie and folk bands while always tapping a few bigtime acts to end the night—and it reigns as a must-attend for any indie or folk fans in the Southeast.
At just three years old, this RM pick for fests worth traveling for has already blossomed into a one-of-a-kind event, avoiding the long lines, drama and price point of a bigger op while still hosting big names worth drama—NTM it’s just a 2.5-hour drive from the Cap City. Here are some festival highlights to browse while you pen your wishlist for next year’s lineup.
Rain, Rain, Here to Stay Guests were evacuated not once, but twice from the fest on Saturday, with Medium Build sneaking in a set between the two delays. But true to the festival’s happy-go-lucky nature, guests were unfazed and danced in the rain, some barefoot. Even after both evacuations, the energy didn’t end, it just moved—breweries and bars surrounding Midtown Green were buzzing with damp and smiling festival goers.
Indie Sleaze Is So Back Vampire Weekend showed out to headline Saturday night with a greatest hits setlist, oozing the sleazy aesthetics of their heyday ~15 years ago. The undeniable charm of Ezra Koenig plus the nostalgia of “A-Punk” live? Unmatched.
Vampire Weekend
…And Indie Folk Never Left Folk had a field day with the rest of the lineup. From The Lumineers to Boone-based Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Chapel Hill-based Watchhouse, it was an indie fanatic’s dream. Athens-based Futurebirds lead the fest towards alt-country horizons while Improvement Movement slung dad rock with a touch of soul. In short, a wide range of boxes were checked when it came to genre. And the sole lineup lowlight? Alt trio Khruangbin’s cancellation. Maybe next year…
A Hop, Skip and a Jump The aptly-named Iron and Blossom stages were in perfect proximity to each other—if you camped out between the side-by-side stages, you could catch every set. And even so, fest goers hopped between the stages, so sets were never overly congested. Sticking with the drama-free nature, you could wrangle a spot close to the barricade at both stages, so long as you rolled up by 2 or 3pm.
Futurebirds
Hometown Heroes Leaning into local, Richmond and Virginia artists reigned. Richmond-based Holy Roller lit up the stage with grooves and a Western aesthetic. And hailing from Shenandoah Valley just north, folk trio Palmyra garnered a huge crowd at the smaller stage—one that didn’t shy away from singing along. In true Iron Blossom fashion, the group’s Mānoa Bell tapped barefoot along to the beat as he strummed the double bass. Overall, the songs of the Southeast shined.
